If you want to cross the police checkpoint, you’ll have to fill the police officer’s pockets. If you don’t have money, you’ll have to give him whatever ration or milk you have, otherwise the police can make you sit there without any reason and issue a challan for your vehicle. A police officer is doing just that last night at the high-tech checkpoint in Phillaur. He forced a milk vendor to stand there for lack of milk and began issuing a challan for his vehicle. The officer complained to the Superintendent of Police, Jalandhar Rural, who took strict action and reprimanded the officer.
The Punjab police, who set up checkpoints to apprehend criminals, are not there to apprehend them, but to extort money from the public. The high-tech checkpoint on the Sutlej River in Phillaur has been receiving daily complaints of extortion by the police as soon as the sun sets. Today, a police station officer crossed all limits when he stopped milk vendor Mithlesh Kumar as he was crossing the checkpoint at 10 p.m. He told Mithlesh that he passes through the high-tech checkpoint every day and has once delivered a kilogram of milk to him. He would either issue a challan or require him to bring a kilogram of milk for him every day whenever he leaves to deliver milk.
When Mithlesh told him that he had his scooter’s papers and license, which he could verify, the officer parked his scooter and made him sit near the checkpoint. Half an hour later, Mithlesh called the police control room and obtained the phone numbers of senior officials. He then reported the incident to Superintendent of Police (SPD), Jalandhar Rural, Sarabjit Rai, who took strict action and reprimanded the station officer. Upon receiving information about the incident, when reporters arrived, two junior officers standing there slipped away, claiming that higher-ups had taken action. The station officer had been drinking and had removed his nameplate and put it in his pocket. The public is concerned that if such police officers can let people pass through the checkpoint in exchange for a kilogram of milk, criminals can easily escape by paying them.
